By Newsbreak Producer, Salma Patel - While some runners are still nursing sore feet, blisters and bunions, others are actually planning to tackle next year's gruelling comrades marathon. This year, athletes ran from Durban to Pietermaritzburg which means that next year will be the down-run. Some athletes found this year's race a bit taxing with quite a few runners opting to pull out early on in the marathon. The Comrades Marathon Association will be announcing those official figures, soon. About 20-thousand runners took part in the 2024 edition of the Comrades marathon. Piet Wiersma from the Nedbank Running Club International won the men's race in 5-hours-25 minutes. The runner from the Netherlands, who finished second in last year's down-run, showed strength, in the last 15 kilometres. Gerda Steyn meanwhile, won her third Comrades Marathon crown. But, five-time marathon runner, Anderton Kevin Naidoo, says preparations for next year's race actually start from now......